His first concert hall was the local forest in Lithuania. Martynas Levickis started playing the accordion when he was three years old. His first instrument – a gift by his godfather – he played with two fingers only. Scales, exercises – the beginnings at the music school weren’t easy for the young Lithuanian, but later on his talent flourished during concerts and competitions.
His repertoire is young and diverse, just like the soundscape of the accordion and Martynas Levickis himself. Classical musical education and a talent show win drew his path and lead him through many musical genres.
The concert portrait “Martynas Levickis and the accordion” musically focuses on George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, even though being quite an unusual repertoire for the accordion. With his arrangement for accordion and orchestra, the artist shows in which ways the characteristics of the accordion matches with Gershwin’s music and how it can contribute to it as well. Together with the NDR Radiophilharmonie and the conductor Delyana Lazarova he delights the audience of “Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern” with the multi-faced soundscape of the accordion.
During the documentary parts we accompany Martynas Levickis to his homeland Lithuania, where everything began for him. He visits the accordion manufactory in Castelfidaro, where a completely new instrument is being created für him. In London meanwhile, Levickis passes on his passion and knowledge to the next generation as a guest professor at the Royal Academy, where he used to be studying himself.
A film by Andreas Morell
Editing: Nina Mühlenkamp
DP: Nikolai Sevke
Sound: Hennig Jäger, Christoph Bock
Sound Mixing: Pierre Brand
Colour-Correction: Jan Hartmann
A 3B-Produktion GmbH production, commissioned by NDR in cooperation with ARTE
